Mumbai Indians have been dealt a major blow as Luke Wood has been named as a replacement for Australian pace bowler Jason Behrendroff. The Indian Premier League 2024 starts with Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore to be played at M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai from 22nd March onwards.
Jason Behrendroff was retained by Mumbai Indians franchise after impressive performances in IPL 2023. Luke Wood has been signed by MI for Rs 50 Lakhs. Behrendroff’s injury has put the bowling attack under the scanner. Dilshan Madushanka injured himself during 2nd One-day international against Bangladesh which is likely to rule for the initial stages of the tournament.
Jason Behrendroff had a brilliant season for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023. He grabbed a total of 14 wickets from 12 matches (12 innings) at an economy of 9.21 runs per over with best figures of 3 for 23.
Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Madhwal, Nuwan Thusara, and Arjun Tendulkar are the four pace bowling options to choose from. Hardik Pandya is fit to bowl while Romario Shepherd has been included as seam bowling all-rounder.
Gerald Coetzee was bought by the Mumbai Indians franchise. He is also recovering from pelvic inflammation and might not be there for the first few matches.
Mumbai Indians would begin their tournament against his old team Gujarat Titans on 24th March at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. They will face Sunrisers Hyderabad on 27th March at Hyderabad. After this, they will take on Rajasthan Royals on 1st April. The final match of the first phase for MI would be against Delhi Capitals on 7th April.
It promises to be an exciting season as Hardik Pandya has been appointed as captain replacing Rohit Sharma.
Luke Wood’s experience in the T20 format
Luke Wood has lots of experience playing T20 cricket across the world. He has featured in several T20 leagues including Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League, and Bangladesh Premier League. Wood has played in the Hundred tournaments.
Wood performed brilliantly for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2024. He grabbed a total of 12 wickets from 11 matches (11 innings) at an economy of 8.24 runs per over with best figures of 2 for 13. Peshawar Zalmi lost to Islamabad United in the qualifier 2.
Luke has played 5 T20I matches for England and grabbed a total of 8 wickets with best figures of 3 for 24. He featured in 140 T20s (139 innings) and took 147 scalps including best figures of 5 for 50 at an economy of 8.45 runs per over.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
